Opening of the exhibition titled ‘‘45. End of the war in 45 artefacts”.
6 May marked the opening of the Museum of the Second World War’s exhibition titled ‘‘45. End of the war in 45 Artefacts’. It will be available to visitors at the European Solidarity Centre.
The exhibition shows the events of 1945 through 45 specially selected exhibits, mostly from the collection of the Museum of the Second World War. Its intention is to present the Polish experience of the war. It shows the various aspects of the-then reality, particularly the ambiguity of the liberation: the end of the German occupation with simultaneous establishment of the Soviet domination. The social perspective has also been presented from a wide perspective: population migration, everyday life, pauperisation and the revival of life.
The exhibits have been divided into subject groups, which visitors may see in any order. Among them are: objects from concentration camps, the bell from the Wilhelm Gustloff ship sunk in January 1945, Soviet off-road vehicle GAZ 67, damaged German street signs from Gdańsk, uniforms of German, Soviet, and Polish soldiers, and mementoes of Antoni Pajdak (a leader of the Polish Underground State, kidnapped by the Soviets and sentenced in Moscow during a sham trial) as well as General Aleksander Krzyżanowski ‘Wilk’ and Janina Wasiłojć-Smoleńska ‘Jachna’ (Home Army soldiers victimised by the communist authorities). The exhibition also presents archival photographs documenting the events connected with the end of the Second World War.
The spatial layout of the exhibition has been adjusted to the over 450-square metre temporary exhibition hall of the European Solidarity Centre, with its art design combining modern visual forms with traditional exhibition methods and techniques.
The exhibition is open until 15 September 2015.
Admission when the European Solidarity Centre is open. www.ecs.gda.pl
Admission: with a ticket to the Centre’s main exhibition or with a separate ticket (5 PLN for adults or 2.5 PLN with a discount).
